The new Hertha coach Sandro Schwarz will remain in Moscow even after the Russian attack on Ukraine has begun, and he has been criticized for that. Now Schwarz talks about the "madness" of these weeks and gives deep insights into the inner workings of his former team.
For Hertha coach Sandro Schwarz, the emotional time as head coach of the top Russian club Dynamo Moscow during the war is still having an impact. "You can't speak of relief there. I would be relieved if the war were over. I think we would all be relieved. It was very stressful. But at least I didn't feel this responsibility anymore after the last game. Da knew me: Okay, you carried the boys through to the end. The boys and girls I had around me are good people," said the new coach of the Berlin Bundesliga club to the German Press Agency.
Schwarz once again explained his reasons for staying in Moscow despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "My staying had absolutely nothing to do with being second in the table or having a chance to lift the trophy. Absolutely not. My staying had only two things to do with it: the club's clear stance on this attacking war and with my players and my staff. If I had just had a slightly different feeling and different knowledge, I would have boarded the plane immediately. I communicated that very clearly to everyone."
The other German coaches who worked in the Russian league last season left the country early: Markus Gisdol terminated his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow at the end of February. When the tanks rolled in Ukraine, the current coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach followed his contract with the Russian club FK Krasnodar at the beginning of March. Joe Zinnbauer is going the opposite way: the former Hamburger SV coach announced at the beginning of July that he would be in charge at Lokomotiv Moscow in the future.
The time from February 24th to saying goodbye after losing the cup final against Spartak Moscow (1:2) was very stressful. "Of course there was fear. Everywhere. With the Ukrainian players, with young players who are still conscripted. What's going to happen to me now? What about the family. There are fears and worries because you couldn't assess what's going to happen actually now?" said Schwarz. He had many conversations with his players, and cried together. "It was madness," he said.
